Thursday, August 27, 2015

Musings: Loved to Death

Like a lot of places on Kauai, Ke'e and
surrounding areas are being loved to death.

It's extremely popular with tourists
because it's the “end of the road,” the trailhead for the 11-mile
hike into Kalalau and a great place to snorkel and watch the sunset. As a result, Haena State Park is the third-most visited park in the state system, with more
than 740,000 visitors annually. It's also home to one of the state’s
richest archaeological complexes, with a hula platform, heiau,
cemetery, house sites and extensive taro lo'i.

Now, after years of community meetings,
discussions and research, the Division of State Parks has developed a
master plan and draft EIS intended to tame the crowds and improve
conditions at the 65.7-acre park. It was created in
cooperation and consultation with a 32-member community advisory
committee comprising a wide range of interests.

Highlights include limiting park
visitors to 900 per day — an estimated 2,000 visit currently —
creating an educational and cultural center at the entry and building
an elevated boardwalk with interpretive materials that will provide
access to Ke'e Beach. Non-residents will be charged an access fee.

One aspect of the plan could include
requiring visitors to attend an orientation session, as is done at Hanauma Bay, to educate them about safety, cultural significance
and environmental protection with the idea of reducing their impact
on the area.

The master plan and DEIS can be
downloaded here (it's a big file, so it takes time) and public comments are being accepted through Sept.
8, with another public meeting set for Sunday at Tahiti Nui in Hanalei.

It's been a long, involved process that
has relied upon the manao of Ha'ena families, cultural cultural
practitioners and Hui Maka‘ainana o Makana (the group that has long
managed the loi there), along with representatives from the Hanalei
Watershed Hui, Hanalei Hawaiian Civic Club, Hanalei-Ha'ena Community
Association, Hanalei Roads Committee, Limahuli Garden Preserve, Kauai
Visitors Bureau, Kauai Northshore Business Council, Princeville
Community Association, Kayak Kauai, Office of Hawaiian Affairs,
Kauai County Planning Department and state Highways Division.

It's built on the concepts of
community-based management (CBM), and generally has strong support
from the local people who live in and use that area.

Another Mauna Kea situation? What, exactly, does Ke'e have to do
with Mauna Kea? Must everything that happens in Hawaii now be
compared to Mauna Kea?

As one local noted in an email to me:

hello it's a state park...they are not trying to take it over they already own it!!

Ke'e is already a zoo, with little
oversight and guidance, and virtually no interpretation to inform
visitors (and new residents) about its cultural and environmental
significance. How is it to be sorted out, without some limits, new
rules and revenues generated by the very same people who are now
converging on it for free?

As for “boardwalks for tourist [sic]
thru 'our sacred lo'i'” — have you ever so much as pulled a weed
out there, Dustin? — the plan is supported by Hui Maka‘ainana o
Makana, which manages those lo'i. Any tours would be led by cultural
practitioners and stewardship groups.

Though Dustin doesn't know
what he's talking about, yet again, and never participated in the planning
process, he's now putting out the call to reject and disrupt.

Ironically, it's framed it as "give and get ideas on how we can #protectMakana” — the iconic peak
that isn't in any need of protection. It's the coastal area that needs help. But that
bit of reality doesn't work so well when you're trying to force a
connection to Mauna Kea that doesn't exist.

It's enough to make you wanna scream
#icantfuckinghandlealready when these johnny-come-latelys try to upend a process that they could have joined way back, but didn't.

46 comments:

it's already hard to get a camping permit for Polihale...why make it hard for locals to access Kee? it's like end to end of kauai access to our beaches are being restricted because idiot tourists don't know how to read signs...both Polihale and Kee pose the same issue - infrastructure. The State says they can only allow 60 people to camp at Polihale because there are not enough restrooms...well build a few more stalls...then tourist complain about there not being enough parking at Kee...gee, didn't know we're catering more towards the tourists than we are the locals. Does kee need a better parking lot? ehhhh, yea. maybe they should do what the plan for kokee is, put a gate and charge tourists. the fee can be used for upkeep and to make further improvements...but please don't restrict access to kee!

Consider the following:1. Fact: What was once remote is now OPEN to any or all who might want to "see and experience for themselves" the beauty and grandeur of the Napali Coast "as is."2. Fact: The accessibility factor to actually bring people ON to the island of Kauai is no longer a "dream"; it is happening daily, and so people stream on to and off from the island constantly. 3. So, coping mechanisms are now in order.4. Carrying capacities need to be seriously considered.5. What enforcement capabilities can actually be maintained and monitored? Ideas may look good in writing, but actually......what can be done effectively and consistently?

I'm guessing Dustin and most of the people who are against this plan were not there for all of the Aug. 19th presentation at Hanalei School, or bothered to read the Plan. (Since many arrived late and repeatedly asked questions or made suggestions for areas that had already been covered.) There's a lot of misinformation out there. @8:29, it doesn't sound like you attended or read the Master Plan which is available online. According to the plan, they are restricting car access and park visitors to 900. That does NOT include special groups like schools, cultural practitioners, hikers and hunters with permits, volunteers and hula halau or loi workgroups. In other words, if you're part of a group that helps malama the park and want to be a good steward of the aina, you can go anytime :) The plan already includes a recommendation to install a gate, but only for vehicles; so people can still be dropped off by shuttle, walk or bicycle to the park. Under the proposed Plan, Hawaii residents will be exempt from the entry fees. Sooooo, go read the plan! There was a 32 member advisory committee that put a lot of time, efforts and work into this proposal. You're probably familiar with a lot of the names and can appreciate the insight and input of these local families. The park is already overcrowded and this would attempt to manage the 2,000+ visitors per day, which really isn't sustainable. -I don't think anyone who has been there recently would think so!

I also support the plan! And love all these "suggestions" from people who haven't read the plan or bothered to listen to the Community meeting. -Go read the plan people, before you start criticizing it!

Change takes people out of their comfort zones. Change takes a while to get adjusted to. Some people can deal with change better than others. Change is inevitable. Deal with it now or later. Adaptation is inherit to humans. We all can adapt to change. Yell, cry, whatever, change is here. "times they are a changing"...

Plan makes sense. Lets divy up the available parking between Hawaii residents ( with HDL ID), and visitor's rental cars. Also any resident with a HDL/ID should be let in to the State Park, regardless of quotas. No overnight parking, especially for those using the trailhead.

It looks like a good plan overall and a lot of research, hard work, and thoughfulness has been put into it. The fact that it has the support of much of the community says a lot. Its a good start to something potentially positive for the area. It really doesnt matter what Dustin Barca thinks.

Barca may be many things, none of which are Mauna Kea, Makana, Kanaka, or taken seriously. I think everyone knows that by now.

A few years back I visited the island of St. Thomas and wanted to go to see one of their most highly praised beaches. As a visitor, we were not able to drive in, as the parking lot was reserved only for locals. Instead, we rode a trolley bus that was intended for visitors. We paid a small fee. The driver was friendly and helpful and it was a fond, memorable experience. The beach was beautiful and well-kept and locals and visitors seemed to coexist peacefully. Perhaps we can have a remote parking lot that provides this type of service and revenue for Ke'e...

I initially had a kind of knee-jerk negative reaction the to the idea of Kee being regulated. Anyone who was there during a time when you could find parking any time of the day and the beach wasn't crowded remembers those days fondly. Nowadays, it's already been regulated - by the hordes of visitors and folks who park their cars there while they're off hiking on foot. It's barely possible to drive down and turn around. We simply don't go there anymore, which is a real shame. We used to enjoy making a "day camp" and felt comfortable going off and leaving our gear under a towel, including a guitar. No more.

I don't think it's unreasonable to request visitors and hikers to pay a small fee to shuttle down to the beach, and track how many of them are there at a given time. There could be a limit set on how many people are allowed on the trail to Hanakapiai per day. Overnight parking could be done away with and that would free up space.

Joan. I live out there and something needs to be done. Tourist coming from Haena crowd the Hanalei Bridge back to the Hanalei School on heavy days! Not sure what the best solution is but this discussion is a good beginning.

iOS and not double checking spelling and grammar but I gurantee you that I am smarter than you and you can keep your county welfare salary because I earns mine and I am qualified for what I do.

State or county engineers did some stupid work around the county and state buildings as well that dumb round about and plants at Wilcox school area.

It made that area congested and hazardous.

When are they going to build that fat lazy unqualified people cafe in the old big save. They probably going get free food too since they like to steal gas and all this paid for by the tax payers but good ol Mayor and his cronies will find ways to raise taxes to pay for the schemes (oops I mean action with aloha and together we can).

Limit parking and strictly enforce parking rules. Don't limit access to Ke'e. If a resident from Wailua or Koloa wants to visit for the day, how do they know if they'll be number 901? It seems like the pendulum is being swung so far in the opposite direction as a knee-jerk reaction.

Why indoctrinate visitors with the cultural significance? I'm fairly certain that most visitors want to bask in the sun, swim in the ocean and hike at least to Hanakapiai beach. Any cultural information should be disseminated as an option. This is Kauai, Hawaii. It's a tourist destination. Most tourists, irrespective of the destination, are looking to relax, unwind and explore their surroundings. Like it or not, that's the reality of most vacationers.

ISN'T THIS SO AMAZING. AMAZING BECAUSE PEOPLE REALLY NEED AN OUTLET FOR THEIR HECTIC DAY/NIGHT. NEGATIVE COMMENTS AFTER NEGATIVE COMMENTS IRK THE ... OF SOME INDIDVIDUALS. STICK TO THE BASICS. WE ARE ON KAUAI. TAKE IT EASY. SAVE YOUR BLOOD VESSELS FOR SOMETHING REALLY WORTH FIGHTING FOR. GO AND READ "ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE".

7:14 The scheme behind this is similar to other "cultural" education Statewide projects. It is to placate the cultural practitioners, Haole wanna be Local li' dat kine and crybaby wealthy Northshore land owners.This is a shill plan. It will never happen. It will cost too much and how da cops going go stop da braddas from going ovah deah to make humbug? Ask them for their permit number? Get real.Another example of intense community input, hard work by citizens and no action by the government. There are dozens of plans and millions of dollars spent on meetings and even full blown engineering/architectural plans drawn on several projects. Ready to go, just submit the plans, that sit, never get funded or get funded and a political big cheese transfers the money elsewhere.Just like all of the other Boards and Commissions on Kauai. Lots of hard work and dreams by the citizens and with a stroke of a pen from the Leg, Council or Mayor and it is finished. Over, Pau. Nothing makes a difference until we have the political will to make sure our leaders honor their word. And I hear they are planning on using chemically infused hi-bred GMO Douglas Fir for the boardwalk, great God all mighty...call out the Hooserites and Fistees.

Tell me another fabulous park you can drive through?Taking the cars out of the park is good, limiting people is good, protecting the resource is good, don't want to be culturally educated, too bad, you don't get to keep desecrating these sacred places. Ke'e is more than a beach and the resources need to be understood and protected.

In Colorado there is a beautiful, pristine area named Maroon Peak/Maroon Lake. One can drive in before 8 am and after 5pm. But between the hours of 8am-5pm the only way in is by foot or 15-20 minute bus that runs every 40 minutes or so. $6 RT. If you attempt to drive in, there is a little "gate keeper" (no real gate) that will turn you around.(There are a few exceptions to the car restriction. Disabled, infant in car seat, campers with permits, etc.)Definitely felt a bit odd to board a "tourist bus" but we learned so much about the area from the bus driver who obviously deeply loved and respected the land and the history. And I immediately thought of Ke'e because he told us about the issue when there was no regulation and too many people were parking off road and killing the flora and fauna and ruining the ecosystem. Crazy that the county cut off funding for the shuttle that was running the route.....

That shuttle was a personal business and a scam. $150,000 for 3 months The scheme got noticed by officials and quickly pulled because it was done under the table. It's like how the county pays the marathon guy $100,000 a year for a one day event.

That would cost 50 billion dollars. No joke the county is dumb as shit. They will over pay their union campaign supporters 10X more than any other bid. The waliua bridge bid was 1 million but the county paid the highest bidder at 9 million and after that they greedy Union charged the county 45-50 million, that's 5X more than what the original highest bidder out in and 45-50X more than the original bid of 1 million.

Now ask yourselves why did the county waste all that money and pay the highest bidder? Because it's not their money

Who puts out the wildfire ablaze behind your house while you are shitting bricks because you have already evacuated and really don't know the outcome if your house was saved or not. Who rescues the poor souls in Hanakapiai during heavy rains and flash flooding. Who saves the elderly visitor out in the ocean being swept away because he dosn't what a rip current is. Who will take the time to teach our kids that 1 + 1 = 2 and bullying is frowned upon. There is a lot of great government people on this island believe it or not. Who wants to help out and spend time as a coach. Take a survey Kauai...how many are government workers. They don't make much but they are out there.

Anyone who has watched the overcrowding at Ke'e get progressively worse over the past 10-20 years knows that something has to be done. It's easier to disparage someone else's plan than to think of your own, but I hope that action can be taken soon, and without lawsuits and wrangling that make the inevitable changes more expensive to implement. Residents on the last mile of the road to the parking lot can't be thrilled by the roadside parking when the lots fill up at Ke'e and while no one wants to be displaced by tourists at the beach, there has to be a compromise solution as others have suggested here (mix of locals/tourists in the daily limit, etc.) I'd rather have parking be limited and know I have to plan on getting there early in the day than have the present situation continue, with too many people crowing the Kalalau trail, parking lots, and facilities that aren't equipped to handle this volume. The trail alone has become unmanageably crowded over the past 10+ years and the first two miles plus the side trail to the falls have really taken a beating. And frankly there are too many people on the trail who are ill-prepared to hike it (separate issue I know).

Hey, If you don't think a candidate is qualified to do the job, don't vote for them. If youre mad they beat your candidate, campaign harder for your guy.If you don't campaign at all, shut up and try make a difference next campaign season instead.

And think about this, if Carvalho hadn't won, do you think we'd be any better under barca, whos got way less education and is a bona-fide fistee?

Kee was well used when I was a child. It was one the beaches my father taught me to dive. Later I parked my old used Volkwagen at the trail head to hunt Kalalau for a week at a time. I, like some of the others here, am simply discouraged as to what has happened to the world in forty years. It is simply not ours any more. And the newcomers are useless for the most part. And I mean from everywhere, not just whites from the mainland. I suspect every community in America has disintegrated during the same time. We are on our way to becoming a tyrannical third world country, ruled over by elite liberals.

people say the only constant is change, so get used to it, accept it, accommodate it. while there is some truth to this. often the "change is good mantra" is voiced by those who benefit from change the most, (realtors, developers, land speculators, tourism centered businesses and promotors, to name just a few). born and raised residents are not likely advocates for changes that promote more and more visitor arrivals; for buying and selling of land for as much gain as possible which has the opposite effect on affordable rents or a house priced for regular people to buy; more and more, residents are left out of decision making even though the changes have a profound negative effect on their lives. unfortunately many of the changes underway do not consider the well being of born and raised citizens of Kauai.

the last refuges, the best beaches and ocean are overcrowded and become unwelcome as places for local residents to gather, relax, fish, picnic and most important, feel comfortable. once these places are gone they can never be re-created.

while change is inevitable, change can and should be directed and shaped to benefit not only profit centers , but for the people who live here. directed change whether it be at Haena or elsewhere should be considered with local residents as primary beneficiaries.

Synopsis: I am a scientist who once made and used GMO crops for research. Twenty years of experience has taught me important lessons about them. One concerns the lack of scientific integrity of GMO risk assessments. Careful study of the documents shows that applicants (mostly companies) are gaming the system in numerous ways; at the same time, government regulators are allowing them to do so. None of this would matter if GMOs were inherently safe, but they are not. They even have dangers that are rarely discussed, even by their critics, but which should be more widely known. These two understandings have led me to conclude that no GMO currently on the market would pass an honest risk assessment, even by the rather low standards that most national regulations and laws require.

Yes and so be it but our elected officials and their appointed are paid well to identify these stats and implement strategies to alleviate the communities problem areas.

These so called leaders are responsible in accommodating the tourists and citizens but has FAIL for so long that everyone is pointing fingers and saying it's not my problem.

This is wherein lies the problems that we are facing today. It's not called poor planning when there were no plans in the first place.

This county of Kauai is reactionary instead of progressive and having plans in place to resolve problem areas.

This should be a huge RED FLAG because with the high rate of storms passing through the Hawaiian islands, it poses as major deficiencies in our government to be able to aid in emergency and natural disaster situations.

Preparations are a key to survival and this county is an example of an impotent welfare recipient that's panhandling to try and make it.

Well, change for us on the westside are the homeless, unemployed, druggies who have taken over our parks and pavilions. So what are the consequences . . . . we local people don't/won't use the facilities due to filt and inappropriate behavior by those who have taken over. I feel sorry for the unknowing tourist who come to do camping in these parks.

Just saw a facebook post a friend of mine put up (It's pretty long so don't want to write the whole thing out) about getting into a confrontation with a visitor at Anini. I guess the guy was throwing rocks right where they had their fishing line in the water and they asked him politely if he would mind not throwing rocks there. The guy went off on them about how he's been coming here for years and there's always people fishing on the beach, and all these fisherman are greedy, and take over the whole beach, leaving them with nowhere to swim. The FB post mentioned that there were only two other fisherman on the beach hooking Oama, and another family of visitors swimming nearby. Now I'm all about sharing the beach, but do our local families really need to be harassed like that for doing what they have been enjoying for generations? It really upsets me to hear about things like that. More so because I hear it more and more often lately.